


Displaced

by GoblinTal



Series: Ghoulish [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: All aboard the Feels train, Explicit Language, Mild canon divergence, Mutation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, ghoulish, smooth skin ghoul
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:01:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22154473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoblinTal/pseuds/GoblinTal
Summary: Tally is a name Nate didn't think would come up in the middle of the glowing sea, and now he has questions that need answering.
Series: Ghoulish [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1594660
Kudos: 4





	1. Personal Log

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to preface this by saying that this is a headcanon of mine. The original character is my earliest for Fallout 4 and I'd like to have some fun with her.

Personal Log: Tally Jennings 

October 23, 2077

0530

Boss called me at 3 a.m. on my day off and now I’m sitting here. Alone. In a dead building. This is bullshit.

0700

Seems I’m not the only one working today. Security is in full swing as always, and Dan just came in. He’s not looking any better than me right now. I mean it’s Saturday for fuck sake, why am I here?

0730

Jason and Roger just walked in. I wonder what we’re all here for. We’re getting a call from the control room, looks like the network is spotty down there. Might take all of us to get it working again.

October 24, 2077

0025

Shit hit the fan… I don’t know how else to describe this. Everything is collapsed, the reactor is about to hit critical and we’re stuck… Dan, Jason, Roger, all the security guards that were down here, we’re all trapped. But I felt it, the earth shaking. We were attacked, weren’t we? Someone finally hit the button and now, it’s all over. I don’t know how long it’ll be before we all start dropping like flies, but there’s no escaping it, I do know that. I’m still in shock, it hasn’t quite hit me yet, that I’m on borrowed time. Wasting it to enter a fucking log but, I guess, maybe someone will find this one day. Maybe?

October 27, 2077

1545

Almost every security guard is dead, the reactor hit critical days ago, but somehow some of us are still here. But everyone is sick, they’re having dizzy spells, nausea, headaches, and their skin isn’t looking too good. I’ve been helping however I can but, I’m no medic. I just know computers and electronics, besides simple first aid I’m useless to them.

October 31, 2077

0215

Happy Halloween…I guess. Dan…didn’t make it. Jason and Roger are started to glare at me, angry that I’m fine… I wish I had answers. Their skin is shriveling, scarring, their eyes are bloodshot and their hair…it’s all falling out. But I’m fine. I don’t feel anything, and fuck I’ve never felt healthier and it makes no god damned sense! Why am I fine while my friends are wasting away?

November 2, 2077

1650

It’s just the three of us now, my friends are alive, they aren’t sick anymore but, their bodies look so horrible. We’ve been trying to find a way out for a while now, and we’ve managed to clear a bit of rubble, but the hole isn’t quite big enough. It sounded like there were people walking around upstairs. But this building should be empty, unless it’s a rescue? A clean up crew? No one should be anywhere near it, if there are even still people. Am I losing it?

It doesn’t really matter if there are people here though, does it? With our way out still far from open, it’s not like they can get to us. I keep thinking about everyone outside. Did anyone make it? Did those fancy vaults work? I know they built one up outside of Sanctuary Hills…where Nate and Nora… God I hope they’re alright.

\----

Nate stared at the terminal screen, through the helmet of his power armor that hid his expression from Nick. Since he left vault 111 he had tried not to think about all of the people he loved who didn’t make it. He’d known that Tally worked in the reactor building as a type of tech support, her prior military clearance landed her the job easily. Never in his life would he have imagined that she was there the day the bomb fell, so close to the crater and yet she didn’t die, not quickly anyway. Nick stood next to the sole survivor, reading the log entries silently, his robotic face betraying nothing.

“Damn, I can’t imagine what that must have felt like,” the synth commented. “Wait, isn’t that you and your wife’s names?”

“Yes,” Nate whispered.

“She must’ve died shortly after this entry, I’m so sorry.”

Nate blinked and looked at Nick before scanning the rest of the room. He saw the skeletons of the security guards and a few of the reactor communications team in the corners, but there were two more by the door, two century old blood stains underneath them. But none of them were wearing women’s clothes.

“Nick, none of these are Tally.” He started searching the small room for more signs of his old friend but, found nothing. “She’s not here.” Without another word he left the control room and began searching the building, running back the way they came. Nick helped however he could, though he didn’t really know what to look for.

“This Tally dame, who was she? A friend?” Nick called from another cleared room.

“Yeah, she and I met when we were still active duty. She was Air Force, one of…one of my best friends.” Nate stopped and turned to face Nick as the old synth walked up. “Nora and I, we made her Shaun’s godmother. Oh Nick, the way her face lit up when she held him for the first time.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Nick. I just need to know that she didn’t suffer. The faster I find proof of her death, the sooner I can get this sick feeling out of my stomach.” He kept recalling her last entry. The footsteps. Then the blood beneath the two skeletons by the door, something wasn’t right, and he didn’t like it. Hopefully, this half sunken building could tell him something, give him some sort of closure.

“Well, I’m not called a detective for nothing!” Nick stated, cocking his old fedora. “Let’s get cracking.”

What they found neither lessened, nor staunched Nate’s uneasiness. Destroyed gen 1 synths, their metal frames rusted and mangled from years of decay. None of the bodies matched what he remembered of his friend, and the presence of early Institute synths didn’t bode well for her. Nick met his gaze as they both came to the same conclusion. The Institute. For whatever reason, none that he could think of, they were prowling this facility just over a week after the bombs hit. And for whatever reason, it seemed, they took Tally when they left. The sheer amount of deadly radiation following detonation would have been deadly to her, should have been deadly to her. But her logs… Suddenly the urgent need to find a way into the Institute was even stronger, he needed answers.

They left the glowing sea with more questions than answers, making their way back toward Diamond City to regroup. Nick had a thought to use some of their resources back at the agency to maybe find a lead, and honestly it was worth a try. The trek took the better part of two days, with a few obstacles in the form of ghouls and raiders, but soon enough they were at the gate of the Great Green Jewel, and on their way to a well-earned rest.

Splitting in the market, Nate returned to Home Plate to doff his power armor, stretching and working his stiff body out after being cooped up inside for so long. The sky was painted a bright red orange as the sun began to set on the Commonwealth, and while Nate wanted to keep up his search for information, he knew when he needed a break. The sole survivor turned away from the market and opened the door to his second home, shutting it on the noise of the ever lively market, a woman’s voice the last sound to seep in.


	2. Diamond City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate is closer to his answers than he knows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little shorter than the last one, but the next one should make up for that.

“Come on Myrna, you know this is worth more than fifty caps,” the soft spoken redhead chided. She wore a mechanic’s jumpsuit with leather armor fitted over it, a baseball cap, and a pair of old patrolman sunglasses. Myrna had been bartering with this strange woman for years, and it all that time she never got over how uneasy she made her feel. She wasn’t a synth, she was sure of that, but he wasn’t normal either.

“Not goin’ any lower than that. Take it or leave it,” the shopkeeper spat back. She wanted away from this unsettling woman and fast. “And make it quick, I’m off after you’re done.” She watched the woman frown and sigh as she set down the scrap pieces and took the caps offered.

“Fine, have a good day, Myrna,” she rasped. The redhead turned away from the woman and pocketed the caps, waving to Takahashi—the Power Noodles protectron—as she passed.

“Nan-ni shimasho-ka?” its robotic voice buzzed.

“I’ll fix you up when I have to parts, big guy,” she called as she kept walking, heading off in the direction of the Dugout Inn.

The Dugout was as busy as usual, Hawthorne telling his adventuring stories, and other residents having drinks at nearly every table available. Vadim’s boisterous laugh filled the air as the strange woman stepped inside, bringing a warm smile to her face. She pulled off her cap, shaking her hair out, though despite the low lighting she kept her sunglasses on. Other than a wave from Hawthorne and a nod from Yefim, she went unnoticed by patrons while making her way to the bar.

“I hear the moonshine here is the best,” she announced with a slight smile to grab Vadim’s attention. He turned, expecting a new customer but smiled when he saw who had graced his bar.

“Ah, Tallia! How have you been, my friend?” he boomed, and the woman chuckled.

“How many times have I told you, Tally will do?”

“But Tallia is so much more sophisticated, don’t you think?” Vadim winked and laughed as Tally lowered her shades just enough to shoot him a look. The eerie glow of her sickly green eyes earned a soft smile from the older man. “Ah, but you asked for a drink, yes? Here you go, on the house.” He poured the moonshine and placed the glass in front of her. “So, Tally,” he drawled teasingly, “where have you been off to this time?”

They drank as she regaled the bartender with stories of deathclaws, feral ghouls, and the children of Atom. He ate up her words with more enthusiasm than his brother, who had chosen to sit with them at the bar for a drink. Half a bottle later, Tally sighed and pushed her glass to the side, signaling that she was done drinking.

“I still can’t believe you roam that death trap for fun,” Yefim murmured quietly enough to keep any outside parties from listening.

“It’s less for fun and more a necessity,” she shrugged. “I live there, you know.” She rested her chin on her hand and giggled. “Really, at this point, it’s not too big a deal.” But Yefim shivered and shook his head, while his brother laughed and clapped a hand over the small woman’s shoulder.

“Ah, that reminds me for some reason,” he started. “Miss Ellie, works for Valentine, was in here just before you arrived, asking questions about anyone with stories from the glowing sea. I didn’t mention you, but I’m sure she will pay well for any information you have.”

Tally tilted her head, thinking for a moment through her buzzing brain. She wondered what the detective could want with that information. Unless he was looking for some missing person, he usually didn’t ask those sorts of questions. She shook her foggy head and smiled weakly.

“I think a good night’s sleep is called for before I go in to have my brain picked by Nick,” she said while turning to Yefim. “Is there a room open for tonight, hon?” Her raspy voice was soft and oddly comforting. The man’s reddened cheeks could have been attributed to the alcohol in his system, and he would stand by that explanation.

“Room 1 is yours, as usual.” His attempts to sound disinterested and mildly annoyed only pulled a giggle from their friend, and she placed a quick kiss to his cheek and placed caps on the counter to cover the room.

“Thanks. I’ll see you two tomorrow,” Tally called, and she was gone, through the doorway to the rooms.

Nate was up at dawn the next morning, dressing in his casual road flannels instead of his Brotherhood fatigues. He cooked a simple breakfast, tuned into Diamond City Radio, and grimaced at Trevor’s stuttering. No one listened to DCR for the commentary but for the music, a small taste of a time not so long ago to him. Memories occupied his mind. Nora in her wedding dress, holding Shaun, Tally right there with them for every step into their new lives outside of the military. He remembered unboxing Codsworth, the apprehension in Nora’s eyes at the thought a robot taking care of their new baby, then Tally’s amusing urge to take the Mr. Handy unit apart and study it. A soft laugh left him as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

“Oh Tals, what happened to you?” he whispered while rubbing his eyes briefly to clear them, and after a moment of silence, cleared his throat and stood from his small table. “I need to meet Nick.” Nate grabbed his pack and gun and stepped outside into the early morning light. The market was dead that morning save for Diamond City security who patrolled as usual. He walked past closed stalls, past Power Noodles, and down the alley toward Valentine’s Detective Agency.


	3. Valentine Detective Agency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tally has a chat with Nick.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I typed this chapter on my phone, so I apologize for any errors I may have missed. Feel free to let me know if you spot any typos! :)  
> Sorry for the shortness of it

Morning in Diamond City was quiet. Tally barely slept. She dozed here and there, but it has become difficult to relax outside of the home she’d made for herself in the glowing sea. Rex—a deathclaw alpha—had made the area surrounding it his territory, so she knew it was well defended. The ghouls never bothered her anymore, aside from their habit of following her around sometimes. Which was probably due to the radiation. 

The radio in her lap was almost entirely reconstructed, progress compared to it’s previous state, and it wasn’t until the working one on the dresser across the room crackled to life with Travis’s voice, that she realized it was morning. There was a moment of regret, knowing she’d be exhausted later, but that was a problem for afternoon Tally. Morning Tally was hungry, and too wound up to worry about it. After setting aside the nearly finished radio, she pulled her hair back and pulled on her cap and sunglasses. The top half of her coveralls had been unzipped and wrapped around her waist, a white t-shirt with a few blood stains here and there, covering her chest. 

Her arms used to be completely smooth, now they were marred with a few large white scars, too straight and clean to be from anything other than surgical tools. Tally stared at them for a moment before shaking her head to clear her mind of memories better left forgotten, and pulled up the top half of her coveralls. She had an appointment at the detective agency, if they were looking for information on the glowing sea, then she was the only one in Diamond City equipped to give them that information. Painful memories could wait.

Without anymore distractions, the redhead packed up her things into her backpack and walked out of the hotel room. The bar was quiet, Vadim was either still asleep, or hadn’t gotten out of his own room yet, Tally didn’t wait. As she walked from the Dugout Inn and down the streets of Diamond City, she only passed a few security, patrolling with their bats. It was nice when it was quiet, a little more of what she’d grown used to while living so far from humans. 

The Valentine Detective Agency was quiet when Tally opened the door. Ellie must still be asleep, she figured, but Nick was seated at the desk against the far wall, flipping through files. She cleared her throat softly to get the old synth’s attention. When he turned and his yellow eyes locked onto her figure in the doorway, he seemed to snap out of whatever funk he was in.

“Come on in! Sorry, I was just reading over some old cases. What can I do you for?” Nick asked, beckoning with the hand that was nothing but robotic skeleton now. The woman stepped inside, closing the door.

“Vadim mentioned you lot needed information on the Glowing Sea?” She watched his brow ridge raise.

“We do, but I honestly didn’t expect anyone to show up so quickly.”

“I was in town. So what do you need?” Her eyes followed the way he looked her up and down, probably trying to gage whether or not he could trust anything she said. 

“We’re looking for something a bit odd.” His tone made her frown. That was never a good sign. 

“Is it a missing person? That’s normally your specialty.”

“Yes,” he replied quickly, “and no. You see, we aren’t even sure this person is alive, in fact we’re almost certain she’s dead.” He lit up a cigarette as he spoke. An odd habit for an earlier model synth, but an endearing one to her.

“Listen, in my personal opinion, most people don’t survive out there for long. The sea is riddled with radscorpions, feral ghoul hordes, and so many bugs that you can’t walk two meters without spotting one,” Tally leveled.

“And the deathclaws,” Nick added. The woman in front of him paused at that for a moment before nodding slowly. Interesting reaction. Doubly interesting that someone with so much supposed experience with the place would “forget” the top predator of the area. 

“Yes,” she said slowly. “Deathclaws can be an obstacle. Either way, unless this missing person went to live with the Children of Atom, I doubt they’re still there, or still alive.” She needed to be careful. No one knew about her relationship with the most hated predators of the Commonwealth, and no one needed to know. “If you needed a guide, I could manage, but the Children aren’t very welcoming of strangers.” There, the offer was on the table, but she could see in the old synth’s eyes that he was wary. 

“I’ll let you know if we need that much from you. But for now, what do you know about the old, half sunk reactor?” Nick was suspicious, of course, but he also knew that this was the only lead they were likely to get. He was so caught up in that thought, he missed the way she stiffened up.

“Just that it’s been abandoned forever, I can’t think of why anyone would go near it.”


End file.
